


Good News

by Sue Corkill (mscorkill)



Series: Bad News-Good News [2]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-09
Updated: 2012-04-09
Packaged: 2017-11-03 07:37:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/378932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mscorkill/pseuds/Sue%20Corkill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Janet helps out during the events in ‘Small Victories’ and finally gets to go out to dinner Daniel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good News

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to my sister-in-law, a master sergeant with the Air Guard, for her help with this story—how else would I know what it’s like to fly in a C-130 carrier? She’s not a shipper yet, (those darn regs) but I’m working on her. *g* I also did my best to find a realistic port for the Russian submarine, so if I’m way off base don’t be too harsh. 
> 
> Sequel to 'Bad News'
> 
> Season Three; originally posted July 2000

GOOD NEWS

Well, that certainly went well Doctor Janet Fraiser thought rather glumly as she watched Daniel jump up from the exam table and race out of the infirmary. As soon as the klaxon had started and the announcement of "Unauthorized Incoming Traveler" had been broadcast over the intercom he had quickly disappeared. Of course, that rather described his whole demeanor during the past week, while not literally, he had figuratively ‘disappeared’ along with the rest of the members of SG-1. Just when she had thought they had gotten closer, their fragile rapport had been interrupted when he had been separated from the rest of his teammates. She really shouldn’t hold it against him that he was currently more interested in the identity of their unexpected visitors than his scheduled appointment with her.

After the base had gone off Def-Con alert and Major Davis had left, they were all forced to wait for some word as to SG-1’s fate. Daniel had become increasingly withdrawn, spending most of his time in his office. She knew General Hammond gave him updates on what the Navy and the other specialists had found in their search for any wreckage from the Asgard ship. She also knew their tech specialists had been working around the clock to get the beta-gate up and running. Of course it didn’t help that their gate expert was among the missing.

The navy salvage teams hadn’t found much; whatever Colonel O’Neill, Sam and Teal’c had done in destroying the Asgard ship, it had been thorough. As gruesome as it sounded, as a physician she knew that if SG-1 had perished aboard the Asgard vessel there wouldn’t be any remains to find. Anytime she had tried to approach Daniel regarding SG-1 he had found a way to avoid the subject and soon had begun avoiding her. It was almost like the affinity that they had started to develop for each during his recovery from his appendectomy had never happened. She probably wouldn’t even have seen him today if it hadn’t been for his follow-up appointment.

"Doctor Fraiser," one of the nurses called to her from the door of the exam room, interrupting her thoughts. "We’ve just been notified that SG-1 has returned. Which rooms do you want to use for their exams?" Dragging her mind away from her thoughts about Daniel, Janet quickly left with the nurse, mentally readying herself for the activities of the next few hours.

********************************************

"So, this planet you gated to, it was a nice place?" Janet asked as she looked through the otoscope into Sam’s right ear.

"Yeah, it was suitable for our needs," Sam replied, not elaborating any farther.

"How so?" Janet asked, determined to get more information.

"We knew from a previous survey there weren’t any Goa’uld or hostile natives there." Janet shifted and looked in Sam’s left ear. "In fact, there weren’t any natives there that we ever saw."

"So, what did you guys do?" Janet palpated Sam’s neck, carefully studying the other woman’s face. She thought she could detect a slight blush at her question.

"The usual survival stuff. Shelter, water, food—you know basic things. Plus trying to dial Earth every day." As Janet finished with her exam, Sam quickly jumped off the table, "Is that everything?"

"Sam, is there anything you’d like to tell me?" Janet asked, not letting her friend off that easily.

"Ah, no," Sam replied, shifting a bit nervously. "I just want to go finish cleaning up so we can start with the debriefing."

Sam was definitely blushing now. Janet decided to cut her some slack, she’d get the whole story of their week on the planet eventually. "Just wait here and Liz will be in to give you your usual shot," she instructed. "Then you’re free to go finish cleaning up." Janet noticed Sam looked noticeably relieved that the exam was over. Hmmm, must have been some week, Janet thought as she left Sam and went to begin Teal’c’s exam.

********************************************

Janet went over her notes from the exams on O’Neill, Teal’c and Sam, dictating her findings into the Dictaphone for transcription into their respective medical records when the klaxons started sounding. After only a few moments, the lights dimmed and then went out, fortunately shutting the klaxons off too. The emergency lighting kicked in, but not in her office. Going out into the hallway, Janet made her way to the central nurse’s station. "What’s happening Liz?" she asked the nurse.

"We just received a message that all the electrical systems from level 20 on down have been affected by something that’s happening on level 28. No word on how long we’ll be on emergency power."

"Well, it shouldn’t be too bad considering we don’t have any patients right now. Check out the critical equipment though, just to make sure their back-up power systems are working," Janet instructed.

"Yes ma’am," Liz replied, motioning to the corpsman at the station to come with her.

Janet stood for a moment wondering what on earth could be going on and then wondering if SG-1’s return had anything to do with the power outage. No, she decided that was definitely paranoid thinking. SG-1 is back now, everything will be okay. Just as she comforted herself with that thought, the lights came back on. Returning to her office she resumed her dictation and was halfway through Teal’c’s report when the phone rang; General Hammond, summoning her to his office. Okay, she thought as she straightened her lab coat and smoothed her hair, re-pinning a few stray ends, maybe I was right to be paranoid.

********************************************

Janet paused outside of the general’s office, knocking on the open door. "Come in Doctor," Hammond instructed her. "You know Major Davis?" indicating the man sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Yes sir, we’ve met," she acknowledged the major with a nod of her head, her thoughts going briefly to the ‘foothold’ incident that had occurred several months earlier. Hammond gestured for her to sit in the other chair as he went and sat behind the desk.

"Major Davis has just informed us that one of the ‘replicators’ from Thor’s ship has survived, apparently taking over a Russian submarine and then killing the crew. Colonel O’Neill, Dr. Jackson, Teal’c and several other select members of the SGC will be accompanying Major Davis to the submarine’s current location to exterminate the surviving replicators."

Janet hid her shock at his words, so they weren’t out of the woods yet, she thought. Then his words sank in, "You said ‘surviving replicators’ sir, does that mean that they are multiplying?"

"Yes Doctor, I’m afraid that’s exactly what it means."

Janet looked at the two men; suddenly realizing Sam’s name hadn’t been mentioned in the list of SGC members going to the submarine. "What about Major Carter, sir? She isn’t being assigned to this mission?"

"Major Carter is on special assignment to Thor’s home world." At Janet’s questioning look the general continued, "The power outage a short while ago? That was Thor, coming through the gate to ask for our assistance. Major Carter volunteered to go help, I agreed."

Realizing by the look on General Hammond’s face that Sam’s assignment to help Thor was a closed subject, Janet asked, "Why have you told me all this, sir?"

"In case there are injuries to any SGC members during this mission, I need someone there who already has the necessary clearance and knowledge of the situation. Needless to say, you meet all the requirements Doctor." Glancing at his watch, he added, "The transport leaves at 1630, that gives you one hour to get everything ready that you’ll need. Major Davis will fill you in on the particulars. Dismissed."

Janet and Major Davis both stood and left Hammond’s office, "Come with me to the infirmary Major and tell me more about where we’re going and what type of medical facilities are there," Janet said as they walked into the hallway.

********************************************

Two hours later Janet found herself strapped into the seat of a C-130 cargo/personnel carrier. She hated flying in these carriers; the web seats were uncomfortable, the environmental systems were non-existent—your feet ended up being cold while the rest of you stayed hot. And then the vibrations and noise were so bad that you had to wear earplugs, not to mention the personal oxygen kits you had to carry at all times. At least it was only a three-hour flight, she had discovered they were being flown to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Even though that shipyard wasn’t specifically designed to handle submarines, it had apparently been the closest shipyard where a high level of security could be maintained.

The only good thing about this trip so far was that Daniel was strapped in next to her. His initial excitement at having his teammates returned seemed to have been subdued by Sam’s subsequent departure and the news of the surviving replicator. Unfortunately they couldn’t really carry on any kind of conversation given the noise, earplugs and other personnel present. She contented herself with merely having him close to her, his head resting on her shoulder as he slept. He had fallen asleep almost as soon as they had taken off, she knew he had been over-doing it, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. At least he could get some sleep now.

The equipment they carried was stowed down the middle of the carrier, with the seats they had needed pulled down on the sides of the plane. She knew the crew had done their best to make them as comfortable as possible, but comfort and C-130 carrier were an oxymoron. She was thankful that Daniel was in the end seat and that Teal’c was on her other side. She wasn’t too worried about any gossip regarding Daniel’s head resting on her shoulder; after all he was still recovering, but it could be misconstrued.

The steady vibrations of the aircraft lulled her thoughts as she let herself drift off. Daniel’s head felt good, resting on her shoulder, his upper torso leaning into her. She wished that she could put her arm around him, but that would have been even riskier than letting him sleep like this. She had already seen O’Neill give her an inquiring look that she had quickly quelled with her sternest doctor gaze. That man certainly was in no position to question her actions. She wondered how Sam was faring with Thor, the Asgard must have really been desperate to come to the Tau’ri to ask for help. If Asgard technology couldn’t defeat the replicators, Janet wondered how their technology could. She had the utmost confidence in the abilities of the SGC and SG-1, however she still sent up a quick prayer that their efforts would be successful.

********************************************

Daniel closed the door to his quarters, grateful for finally being off the transport. It still amazed him that the Air Force transported its personnel in such uncomfortable planes. He looked round the room, though relatively sparse in its furnishings; it would be more than adequate for his needs. He really hoped they wouldn’t be here too long, the sooner they were able to destroy the bugs on the submarine the better. There had been a short briefing before they had been shown to their quarters, they were to start the recon mission at 0600 the next day. Sergeant Siler and two technicians that had come with him were already getting all their equipment set up in the room that would be their base of operations. The corpsman that had come with Janet was also busy unpacking the medical supplies and setting up the equipment they had brought.

Setting his duffel down on the bed he proceeded to unpack. He had been startled when he woke up on the plane with his head resting on Janet’s shoulder. He must have been more tired than he thought. He guessed maybe that she had been right when she told him that he still needed to take it easy. Janet, he knew he had been avoiding her and he could tell that she felt hurt by it. He wasn’t sure why he had been acting the way he was, except that in his gut he had felt that he couldn’t be happy until he knew what had happened to his teammates. Well, now he knew what had happened and they were re-united, except for Sam. However they were still in trouble, Sam on Thor’s planet and the rest of SG-1 on Earth. Jack, Sam and Teal’c had managed to save the world, again—only to have to do a repeat performance, this time on two different worlds.

The sound of knocking on his door interrupted his thoughts. Opening it he found Jack standing there, Teal’c beside him. "Daniel, Teal’c and I are going to find the commissary," O’Neill said, gesturing to the Jaffa. "Davis says they’ll have some dinner there for us, wanna’ come?"

"Ah," Daniel stalled, "I’ll be along in a bit, I want to finish unpacking first."

"Okay," Jack replied, giving him a curious look, "see you later."

As Daniel watched Jack and Teal’c disappear down the hall, he heard the door to the room on his right opening. Janet closed the door to her room, coming to stand next to him. She had changed into BDU’s, looking even more petite in the somewhat baggy clothes. She had her hair pinned up as usual, Daniel found himself wondering how long it actually was now. "Was that Colonel O’Neill and Teal’c?" she asked.

Daniel forced his thoughts away from images of Janet with her hair down and replied, "Yeah, they’re going to the commissary. Evidently Davis has arranged for us to get dinner there."

"Sounds like a good idea." She glanced at Daniel, who was looking decidedly distracted and tired. "Come on," she said, grabbing his hand, "we should eat." He quickly pulled the door to his room shut, allowing Janet to pull him down the hall.

********************************************

Later in his room while getting ready for bed, Daniel reflected that dinner had been nice. He was glad that Janet had dragged him down to the commissary. They had joined Teal’c and Jack, who were already halfway through huge portions of what appeared to be meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy and several types of vegetables. Guess they were making up for whatever it was they hadn’t been able to eat while they were stranded on that planet. Speaking of which, both Jack and Teal’c had been remarkably reticent when asked about what went on while they were off world. Oh well, Daniel figured he’d get the whole story out of Jack sooner or later. They had all enjoyed their meal and the desultory conversation, which mostly involved catching Jack and Teal’c up on what had transpired while they had been away.

It had been a nice evening with his friends. He missed Sam though, and hoped that she would be successful in helping Thor and the other Asgard. Of course, she was counting on them to be successful in their mission here so that she would have a world to come home to. Teal’c had left the commissary soon after they had finished eating, saying he needed to prepare for the battle the next day. Daniel had seen Janet’s slight shudder when Teal’c had said ‘battle’, he could tell she was worried. Jack had left soon after, off to find Davis he said, to discuss more of the next day’s plans. Daniel and Janet had been left at the table then, drinking coffee. Thank goodness it had been de-caf Daniel thought, he was wired enough thinking about tomorrow’s events without the extra caffeine in his system.

They had sat for a few minutes more, finishing their coffee when Janet suddenly stood, saying that even though it was only 2130 here; it still felt like 2230 to her. He had been a bit surprised at her abrupt announcement; he had been enjoying her quiet companionship. But, still feeling a bit unsure of himself and her, had gotten up and walked with her back to their quarters.

They arrived at her door first, and as she opened it he took a deep breath and thanked her for asking him to go to dinner. She looked momentarily surprised, but then smiled that sweet, gentle smile of hers and told him, "You’re welcome". He had watched as she entered the room and closed the door, feeling reassured by her manner.

As he brushed his teeth, he decided that maybe they were getting back to where they had been before all this had happened. He really liked Janet and he thought that she felt the same way about him. And even though he had been acting like a bit of an ass, it seemed like she had forgiven him. With that comforting thought, he got into bed hoping he’d be able to sleep.

********************************************

Daniel came rushing into the command center at 0630, slightly out of breath, just in time to catch the tail end of several colorful comments from Jack, aimed at Janet? After a restless night, he had finally fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning and as a result had overslept. Looking around the room, he saw Siler with his technicians over at a table that contained a bank of monitors, making adjustments and talking quietly amongst themselves. Jack was sitting shirtless on a bench over in the area of the room that Janet had commandeered for herself and her equipment. Teal’c was also present, sitting on another bench and being worked on by the corpsman; Stevens and Baker were there as well. It looked like Janet and her corpsman had already finished with Baker and Stevens, as they pulled their black T-shirts on over various wires that had been attached to their chests.

"Shit, that’s cold," Jack complained to Janet, flinching a bit as she cleaned off a small area of skin beneath his right collarbone.

"Quit complaining Colonel, we don’t want these electrodes coming loose."

"No, ‘we’ sure don’t want that," he replied snidely. Looking up from what Janet was doing to his chest, he saw Daniel. "Nice of you to join us Daniel."

"Ah, yeah, sorry about that." He ran a hand through his hair; "I overslept."

Janet picked up a disposable razor and started shaving a small area on Jack’s chest, this time below his left collarbone. "What’s going on?" Daniel asked.

"Just getting the Colonel and Teal’c wired for their mission," Janet replied. Seeing Daniel’s confused look she explained, "We’ll be monitoring their vital signs throughout the entire time they’re on the sub."

"Oh," he muttered.

"Yeah Daniel, we’re wired for sound," Jack drawled as Janet finished attaching the last of the electrodes to his chest. Standing then he attached the small telemetry unit to his belt, making sure it was securely fastened before pulling his T-shirt on. The corpsman had also finished with Teal’c, the four men then going over to where Siler had the rest of their gear.

Janet washed her hands with a water-free hand sanitizer and walked over to Daniel. She looked at him closely; he still had the dark circles under his eyes that had been there for the past few weeks, but other than that he didn’t look too bad. "Did you get any breakfast?" she asked.

"Ah, no," he said glancing down into her concerned eyes. "I kind of figured there’d be coffee here?" he asked hopefully.

She sighed, "Over there," she pointed back towards the main door.

"Thanks," he said, heading towards the coffee.

Watching Daniel walk away, she decided she’d have to worry about him later. Right now she needed to make sure everything was working properly for the Colonel and his team. She went over to where her corpsman Matthews worked, adjusting the settings on the monitors.

********************************************

Janet sat quietly back in her corner of the command center quietly observing the three men sitting at the main bank of monitors, intently watching the video feed from the four men on the sub. Knowing Siler would call her if the alarms on her monitors went off, she stayed out of their way. So far the recon seemed to be going well, there hadn’t been any aggressive action by the bugs. She suddenly heard louder noises coming from the speakers, then Daniel saying, "Teal’c and Stevens are in trouble." What was going on? They weren’t supposed to engage the replicators. After several frantic minutes, she heard the distinctive tone of the asystole alarm from one of her monitors. Either some of their carefully attached leads had come off during the altercation on the sub or one of the men was dead, with a sick feeling she realized there wasn’t anything she could do from her current location. She really hoped it was a loose lead….  
********************************************

After she handed the replicator piece she had just fished out of Teal’c to Daniel, Janet went back to finish cleaning and dressing the Jaffa’s wound. The mindless routine and simplicity of the actions helped soothe her as she thought about Stevens, whose body remained on the sub. She hadn’t known him well, his visits to the infirmary few and far between, but he was still one of ‘their’ men, and he was dead. She gently smoothed the dressing into place, "All done, Teal’c," she told the waiting man. As he stood she asked, "Do you need anything for pain?"

"I am fine Dr. Fraiser," he replied (as she had known he would), "already my symbiont is beginning the healing process."

She smiled at him and went about cleaning up the tray, half-listening to the conversations going on around her. Over at the main table, she could hear the murmur of voices as Daniel, O’Neill, Davis and the others talked, going over the events that had happened aboard the Blackbird. Janet and Matthews had just finished cleaning and storing the supplies that had been used earlier when she heard Teal’c’s voice and focused on his words, "I will return to the ship with you O’Neill." Matthews had obviously heard Teal’c too as he began gathering the equipment they would need to use if the two men returned to the sub.

********************************************

This time Janet couldn’t stay in the background, she positioned herself as close to the monitors as she could without getting in anyone’s way. So far everything seemed to be going as planned. Teal’c and O’Neill had placed the explosive charge, detonated it and were now on their way to kill the ‘mother bug’. After several tense minutes and the seemingly unending sound of gunfire she heard Teal’c saying, "I believe you got it O’Neill." She felt overwhelming relief; the two men had been successful. Her relief soon turned to horror though when she heard O’Neill say, "Oh crap", and their whole plan fell apart.

From her position she had trouble following what happened next on the monitors, she saw Daniel tense when Siler reported, "The anchor line snapped". Janet couldn’t see Daniel’s face, but the look on Davis’ was enough. She wished that she could go to Daniel, at least put her hand on his shoulder and offer some support, but she didn’t want to distract him or get in their way. She suddenly realized that O’Neill was talking into his video camera, telling Davis to give the order. She instinctively knew which order he meant, the order for the Dallas to fire her torpedoes at the Blackbird.

She closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them again this would all fade into a dream. She opened them again as she heard Siler say, "Direct hit". All she could see on the video feed were bugs and more bugs as O’Neill fell. Then suddenly he and Teal’c were enveloped in a shimmering white light as the video feed went to static. As she stared in shock at the monitors, she realized Daniel was trying to say something and having remarkable trouble in getting the words out.

"They’re okay, the, ah," he pointed towards the ceiling, still trying to form the words and finally settling with, "they’re okay." Janet finally understood what had happened, it was the Asgard transportation technology, Teal’c and O’Neill had been rescued by Thor. Close on the heels of that revelation came the realization that Sam must have been able to help the Asgard. So, SG-1 had saved the Earth once again, and the Asgard too. By this time Major Davis and the rest of the group around the table were shaking hands and congratulating each other.

Daniel stood and looked around the room, when he spotted Janet he quickly made his way to her side and enveloped her in a big hug. Laughing with relief, she buried her face in his chest. "That was close," he murmured into her hair. She merely tightened her arms around him.

Without looking up she asked, "Where do you suppose they are now?"

"Well, I would imagine they’re either on Thor’s ship or back at the SGC." Pulling away slightly he looked at her, smoothing back some stray locks of her hair, "If they’re back at the SGC I’m sure General Hammond will call and let us know." He glanced back over to where Major Davis sat, talking on the phone. "I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s who Davis is talking to right now."

Suddenly realizing she was still clinging to Daniel, Janet reluctantly pulled out of his arms. She looked at him demurely, "I better help Matthews get all the equipment sorted, I imagine we’ll be leaving soon."

Knowing she was right he let her go. "We’ll get to have that dinner now," he told her softly.

"That’s a date, Dr. Jackson."

********************************************

Daniel stood nervously on the porch at Janet’s house, having just rung the doorbell. Tugging on his tie, he tried to quell the butterflies in his stomach. They were just going to dinner that’s all, two friends having a nice dinner together. Then why did he feel so apprehensive? During the week since they had returned from Washington State, he had seen her often. In fact, he had sought out her company on more than one occasion. There was no reason to be nervous, no reason at all. The door suddenly swung open and there stood the object of his distress, looking gorgeous in a simple black dress.

"Daniel, right on time," Janet greeted him, "come in." Stepping back she made room for Daniel to enter the house. He stopped short when Jack suddenly stuck his head into the room from what Daniel knew to be the kitchen.

"Hey Daniel, looking good," the older man teased, "is that a new tie?"

Daniel couldn’t help it and found himself straightening his tie, yet again. "Yeah, it is Jack." Pausing, he fixed Jack with an intent look, "Ah, Jack, what are you doing here? I thought Sam was staying with Cassie this evening."

"Oh, she is," Jack replied, finally coming into the room. "I’m just here to help," he added with a satisfied grin.

Daniel studied the other man for a moment before finally asking, "How come I didn’t see your car outside?"

"I came with Sam."

"Oh," was the only thing Daniel could think to say. He really needed to find out what had happened while those two had been stranded on P4X-234.

Janet watched the interchange with amusement. If Jack wasn’t careful Daniel would soon be turning the tables on him. Grabbing her coat and purse, she went to the kitchen door and said, "Cassie honey, I’m leaving now."

Cassie came into the room then, followed by Sam. "Hi Daniel," they said simultaneously and then both promptly burst into giggles.

Jack turned to them saying, "What have I told you girls about giggling?" Which only caused them to laugh harder.

Cassie managed to stop laughing long enough to give Janet a hug goodbye saying, "Have fun Mom."

"Yeah, have fun Janet," Sam echoed, going to stand next to Jack. "You too Daniel," she added as Jack put his arm around her.

"Be good kids," Jack admonished. "Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do."

Daniel helped Janet into her coat as she said goodbye to the trio. Once they were safely out of the house and walking to his car he said, "That was…unusual."

Janet looked at Daniel, knowing he meant Jack being there with Sam. "I had no idea he was coming with Sam," she told him.

Upon reaching his car, he opened the passenger door for her. As she got in he said, "I think we really need to find out what happened while they were stranded."

Janet laughed, "Daniel, I think we can make an educated guess!" He grinned down at her as he closed the door, suddenly feeling relaxed. They were going to have a great time.

********************************************

Daniel finished his second glass of Chardonnay, enjoying the subtle bite as it went down. Their dinner had been wonderful; he had taken her to one of the nicer restaurants in the Springs, where they had shared a delicious Chateaubriand. Now they were sharing dessert, both too full to eat a single portion themselves, but unable to resist the Seven-Layer Chocolate Torte. Once he had gotten over his original nervousness, he had felt right at home with Janet. She obviously felt the same way, if her relaxed manner was any indication. He had been slightly worried that they wouldn’t have anything to talk about outside of work, but found they shared many of the same interests. Glancing at his watch, he saw it was after 11:00 p.m., "Janet, when are Sam and Jack expecting you home?"

"No time special," she replied, taking a final bite of the torte. She grinned at him; "I don’t have a curfew Daniel."

While he pondered her reply, the waiter brought over the check. He pulled out his wallet and took out a credit card, giving it to the man. "We can stop at my place for coffee if you like," he suggested.

"That would be nice," she replied, practically blinding him with a brilliant smile. "I’m just going to visit the Ladies Room before we leave."

Daniel watched her walk away, entranced by the sway of her hips. Whoa, hold on there boy, he thought. This is only your first date. He grinned; he and Janet had just gone out on a date. Were still on a date in fact, a date in which he had invited her back to his apartment. It was also a date where Sam and Jack waited for her to return home. Maybe coffee at his place wasn’t such a good idea after all.

As Janet returned to the table, she saw the play of conflicting emotions on Daniel’s face. Oh no, she realized, he’s having second thoughts. Sitting back down she asked, "Daniel, is everything okay?"

Seeing the concern and affection in her eyes, he quickly decided he didn’t care who waited for her at home, they were going to his place for coffee. "Everything’s fine Janet, ready?" Nodding, she stood and they left, stopping only to retrieve her wrap from the coat check.

********************************************

Janet kicked her heels off, sitting back on the sofa and tucking her legs under her. She could hear Daniel puttering in the kitchen as he made the coffee. She looked around his apartment with interest. Though the only light was from a table lamp at the opposite end of the sofa, she could see that his place was really nice, and she was somewhat surprised by all of the antiques. She could recognize that many of them were original. The man never ceased to amaze her. Speaking of her amazing man, he walked into the living room then carrying a tray with two coffee cups, cream and sugar. How sweet, she thought, he remembered she took cream and sugar with her coffee.

Daniel set the tray down on the coffee table and sat down next to Janet. She looked so inviting sitting there, on his sofa. He had removed his jacket in the kitchen, and now took off his tie. Janet watched his movements with interest. Leaning forward then he asked, "One teaspoon of sugar, right?" putting the sugar in her coffee.

"That’s right, and just enough milk to give it that creamy color." He poured a small amount of cream into the cup and handed it to her.

She took a sip. "Perfect." She smiled at him over the rim of the cup. Daniel smiled back, taking a sip of his coffee. "This is nice," she murmured.

"The coffee?"

"The coffee is nice, but I meant this," she gestured around the apartment, "being here with you."

"It is nice." He took another drink of his coffee, then as if he had suddenly come to a decision; he set his cup down.

Janet looked at him curiously; he had that very intense ‘Daniel’ look on his face. She sat her cup down as he turned so that he was facing her, their knees touching, his right arm resting along the back of the sofa. "I’ve been wondering for weeks now about your hair," he murmured.

"My hair?" she asked, feeling suddenly self-conscious about the French knot Sam had fashioned for her.

Janet watched transfixed as he raised his hands and began to slowly remove the bobby pins from her hair, combing his fingers through her auburn tresses as he freed it from the French knot. She couldn’t help the shivers that resulted when his fingers brushed her neck.

Feeling her shiver at his touch brought a small smile to his face. Once he had removed all the bobby pins he combed his fingers through it one last time and sat back, admiring what he saw. Her hair was longer than he had expected, hanging down to just past her shoulders. In the soft light from the lamp with her hair all tousled she looked gorgeous.

Leaning forward he slowly brought his lips to hers, pausing when he was just a breath away and whispering, "You are so beautiful." Janet closed the distance between them then, kissing him softly. Sighing, he pulled her into his arms, positioning her across his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving into the pleasure brought by his kisses.

********************************************

Sam yawned looking over at the clock, 1240. She snuggled closer to Jack as they sat on the sofa watching the late, late movie. He tightened his arm around her, "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing, just wondering when Daniel’s going to bring Janet home," she murmured.

"Maybe he’s not," Jack teased.

"That’s moving pretty fast, especially for those two," she commented. "Look how long it’s taken them to get to this point."

"Not any longer than it took us," he replied, looking down at the woman in his arms. "Besides, there were extenuating circumstances."

Reaching up she gently caressed Jack’s face. "Well, if we could overcome our ‘extenuating circumstances’ then I guess they can too."

Gazing down into her adoring blue eyes, Jack was glad they had ‘overcome’ their circumstances. Closing the gap between them, he began kissing her, hoping now that Janet didn’t get home any time soon.

 

THE END


End file.
